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After making nice with Angela Merkel at NATO summit, Donald Trump reignites spending spat on Twitter

After praising the US's relationship with Germany, President Donald Trump is accusing the country of skimping on its defense budget. Earlier in the day, he'd put on a smile while addressing reporters with Angela Merkel.

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Why did Trump attack German-Russian energy links at NATO?

Why did Trump attack German-Russian energy links at NATO?

Wednesday was a back-and-forth day in Brussels for US President Donald Trump, who was in town to eventually discuss NATO business with delegates from the trans-Atlantic alliance's 28 other member countries. First he was mad at Germany, claiming that the country was "captive" to Russia for its concessions in pursuit of a controversial gas pipeline deal. Then, after a public rebuke from Angela Merkel and a sit-down session with the chancellor, the US president was singing a revised tune, saying the bond between the increasingly uneasy allies was bigger — more "tremendous" even — than any differences between the leaders.

"We are having a great meeting," Trump told reporters following his one-on-one with the chancellor. "We are discussing military expenditure, and we are talking about trade. We have a very, very good relationship."

Merkel was more reserved with her assessment, saying the United States and Germany are "good partners, and we wish to continue cooperating in the future."

Once the chancellor was out of earshot, however, and the president was back on the Twitter, he seemed to have once more reappraised the situation, and Germany was in the wrong again. "What good is NATO if Germany is paying Russia billions of dollars for gas and energy?" Trump asked rhetorically. "Why are there only 5 out of 29 countries that have met their commitment? The US is paying for Europe's protection, then loses billions on trade. Must pay 2 percent of GDP immediately, not by 2025."

In more official business at the summit on Wednesday, the alliance invited Macedonia to begin accession talks, after the Balkan nation resolved a long-running dispute with neighboring Greece, a NATO member that has a state with a similar name. Officials in Athens had successfully unilaterally blocked Macedonia's candidacy for a decade. The new formal name for what the UN and EU officially label the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) still requires domestic political approval.

Donald Trump on NATO: Top quotes

Trump on NATO: A war of words

Even before taking office, US President Donald Trump's relationship with NATO has been a tumultuous one, to say the least. He has disparaged the trans-Atlantic alliance, once describing it as "obsolete" and a relic of the Cold War. Here are Trump's most memorable quotes about the military alliance, even if they are at times false.

Donald Trump on NATO: Top quotes

'Days of the Soviet Union'

While on the campaign trail in 2016, Trump made clear that he saw NATO as a relic of the Cold War. "You know, we're dealing with NATO from the days of the Soviet Union, which no longer exists. We need to either transition into terror or we need something else." But his remarks didn't account for how the alliance backed the US well after the collapse of the Soviet Union, especially in Afghanistan.

Donald Trump on NATO: Top quotes

'Germany owes vast sums'

Trump has made defense spending his main talking point on NATO. But he has falsely accused member states of owing money to Washington, saying: "Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO, and the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany." The problem is NATO doesn't work like that. No money is owed to the alliance for defense or otherwise.

Donald Trump on NATO: Top quotes

'Obsolete'

Days before his inauguration, Trump caught NATO members off guard when he claimed the alliance was "obsolete" and threatened to withdraw support. "I said a long time ago that NATO had problems: Number one, it was obsolete, because it was designed many, many years ago." Months later, he retracted his statement, citing changes within the alliance. "Now they fight terrorism," he said.

Donald Trump on NATO: Top quotes

'Doesn't sound very smart'

Trump had tended to lump trade between US allies with how much Washington spends on defense. "We are spending a fortune on military in order to lose $800 billion (in trade losses). That doesn't sound very smart to me," Trump said. The problem is that while NATO members have agreed to spend 2 percent of their GDP on defense, the alliance has nothing to do with international trade.

Donald Trump on NATO: Top quotes

'We are the schmucks'

During a 2018 rally in Montana, Trump hit out at European allies, saying: "They want (us) to protect against Russia, and yet they pay billions of dollars to Russia, and we're the schmucks paying for the whole thing." Trump was referring to Russia as Europe's primary source for oil and natural gas, but he created a false dichotomy between energy reliance and NATO's defense spending goal.

Donald Trump on NATO: Top quotes

Montenegro 'may get aggressive and congratulations, you're in World War III"

In an interview with Fox News, Trump was asked why the US should jump the defense of NATO ally Montenegro in the event of an attack. The president said he'd asked himself the same question, appearing undermine the military alliance's collective defense clause. Trump went on to describe Montenegrins as a "very strong" and "very aggressive," and that that aggression risked starting World War III.

Author: Lewis Sanders IV

'Germany is captive'

The dispute between Trump and Merkel started, as it often does with this US president, with an utterance.

"Germany is captive of Russia because it is getting so much of its energy from Russia," Trump said, referring to Berlin's Nord Stream 2 deal with Moscow. "They pay billions of dollars to Russia, and we have to defend them against Russia."

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Does Trump have a point about NATO?

Does Trump have a point about NATO?

Speaking ahead of her one-on-one meeting with Trump, Merkel pushed back against the president's characterization of Germany as subservient to Russian interests.

"I experienced, in person, that part of Germany was controlled by the Soviet Union," Merkel, who grew up in Templin in the former East Germany (GDR), said. "I am very happy that today we are united in freedom ... and that we can therefore also say that we conduct independent policies and can take independent decisions."

Defense minister: Look at Germany's output

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels that Germany was "used" to Trump's criticisms and that the country could "cope" with his barbs.

She admitted that his criticism of Germany's low spending on defense was fair, but appealed to his background as a businessman to consider the country's defense contribution in a wider light.

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Europe needs 'strategic patience' with Trump: ex-NATO envoy

Europe needs 'strategic patience'

"I'd like to see the businessman Donald Trump not only look at the balance sheet, but at the output," she said, adding that Germany contributed the second-highest number of troops to the alliance and has been its second-largest net contributor.

'Appreciate your allies'

Trump's stinging criticism of Germany came less than a day after he exchanged stern words with European Council President Donald Tusk over EU nations' defense spending.

"Many countries in NATO, which we are expected to defend, are not only short of their current commitment of 2 percent (which is low) but are also delinquent for many years in payments that have not been made. Will they reimburse the US?" he wrote on Twitter.

In Brussels, Tusk hit back at Trump for "criticizing Europe almost daily" and said the president should acknowledge that the EU is the US's closest ally. "Dear America, appreciate your allies, after all you don't have that many," he said.

Only eight members of the 29-country bloc are expected to spend at least 2 percent of their GDP on defense in 2018: the US, Estonia, Greece, Britain, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania. Germany's defense spending is currently 1.24 percent of its GDP.

In a signal to European allies, the US Senate voted on Tuesday 97-2 in a nonbinding resolution in support of NATO.

Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat lawmakers in the US House of Representatives and Senate, issued a joint statement on Wednesday to take Trump to task for his comments: "President Trump's brazen insults and denigration of one of America's most steadfast allies, Germany, is an embarrassment."